(CNN) – Thursday's Supreme Court ruling upholding President Barack Obama's health care law has Americans divided, according to the first survey following the landmark decision.

Friday's poll from USA Today/Gallup showed 46% of Americans agree with the court's ruling, with 46% saying they disagree. Opinions were predictably split along party lines: 79% of self-identified Democrats agreed with the decision to uphold the president's law, while 83% of Republicans disagreed with the ruling.

A CNN/ORC Poll taken at the end of May indicated 43% of Americans favored the Affordable Care Act, while 51% opposed the measure. Broken down, 13% said they opposed the law because it was not liberal enough, while 34% opposed it because it was too liberal.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, saying the individual mandate, while not constitutional under the Commerce Clause of the constitution, was valid if viewed as a tax.

Following the decision, Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee, renewed his vow to eliminate the law if elected president, and House Republicans scheduled a vote to repeal the measure in July. That effort, which could pass the Republican-controlled House, isn't expected to get anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

The Gallup survey taken after the court's ruling showed 31% of Americans said they wanted the entire law repealed. Twenty-one percent advocated repealing parts of the law.

Another 25% said the government's role in health care should be expanded beyond the level stipulated in Affordable Care Act.

The Gallup poll was taken June 28 by telephone from 1,012 adults. The sampling error was plus or minus four percentage points.

soundoff(172 Responses)

Larry L

The mandate required by the law isn't a problem for people responsible enough to do the right thing and get health insurance. If you're honestly too poor for the insurance Medicaid will help. If you simply won't buy the insurance because the "guv-ment" is forcing you to be responsible you'll get taxed – because you will eventually become a burden to society due to high medical bills somebody else will have to pay. All of the things Romney is promising (too late) for his "revised law" are the provisions of the current law! Look it up! He's just explaining he plans to pay for those benefits – more hollow election promises.

June 30, 2012 10:41 am at 10:41 am |

Mikey

I guarantee you that 90% of those surveyed have never read page one of it.

June 30, 2012 10:44 am at 10:44 am |

girish

It is a shame on richest nation on the world that so many people are without insurance coverage,even spending too much on health care . Thee are always benefits and disadvantages of every issue, but if we clearly look at moral and humanity ground with caring and compassion -it will be better to provide coverage to most of people . Even if you consider it as a tax,you are paying any way for uncompensated care given to people . The ultimate result will be saving in health care cost . Rather than looking at political advantage by scare tactics doing harm to national integrity . Don't expect to live peacefully , if other people are distressed economically . Don't invite social chaos

June 30, 2012 10:46 am at 10:46 am |

doublellnfl

First let's get the words straight, court says you can have it as a TAX, WH says its not a tax, it's a penalty, so if it's a penalty not a tax according to Supreme Court, they have do drop the individual mandate, awww make insurance companies not have a record boom in profits..

June 30, 2012 10:49 am at 10:49 am |

stateschool

Unfortunately, I am not at all surprised to hear that House Republicans are planning to waste everyone's time in July. Why face front and move on when you can look backwards and keep bickering?

June 30, 2012 11:01 am at 11:01 am |

1twinsfan

I work for a major health insurance company. I, as an employee, rarely go to the doctor because I cannot afford, even with such "great" health insurance. When the firestorm was brewing and "death panels" was being shouted about at town halls, my employer was sending numerous E-mails each day to us employees telling us to call out political leaders against Obamacare. They even sent to our homes postcards for us to sign and send to our Senators. There was an extra one for us to return to them to show we complied. BS to that! My political views are not for my employer to dictate. Especially one that has such a life or death, moral impact on myself and fellow citizens. Obamacare isn't health care reform but health insurance reform and I am all for it. Health care should never be driven by profit but the desire to help others.

June 30, 2012 11:02 am at 11:02 am |

Bev Varnado

It will never work. Our system is not really bad. It just needs some tweeks which could be done one or two at a time without bothering the people already being responsible. And don't say it isn't going to bother those people because it is.

June 30, 2012 11:21 am at 11:21 am |

Ryan Wenzel

So why is Romney now pandering to those Americans who want the entire thing repealed if they're only 31% of the country? He can't even pander intelligently.

June 30, 2012 11:28 am at 11:28 am |

Aerin

Obama did the right thing, again.

Republicans did the wrong thing, again.

June 30, 2012 11:53 am at 11:53 am |

Les Too

It is the unconditional duty of the churches (Judeo-Xtian-Islamic, pagan, wiccan, etc.) and the responsibility of humanistic orgs in a community to care for those who need help. They have failed miserably in the past and are failing miserably today. Since communities refuse to take care of their own. the government has a moral obligation to step in and fill the void.. It's that simple. True small businesses (e.g. less than 50 employees) and low income earners will be unaffected. Medicaid income levels will be raised to catch marginal earners.

June 30, 2012 12:03 pm at 12:03 pm |

Cort

Ann, where are you getting your "facts?" 50% of Americans don't pay taxes? There are only 2 reasons why one would not pay taxes: 1) tax evasion, and 2) earning below the minimum (= in poverty)...since only about 15% live below the poverty level, your belief is that over 1 in 3 Americans are tax evaders? And whereas you choose to use that cliché "redistribution of wealth," I choose to say that the AHC law makes health care a right, not a privilege. Unbelievable, that we have so many people in this country who feel health care should be a privilege denied the poor and lower middle class, and that they try to justify it by saying the AHC act is a "re-distribution of wealth."

June 30, 2012 12:07 pm at 12:07 pm |

Mary

I carried the healthcare for my family until my job was outsourced and I no longer had a job. Small businesses which politicians claim are the engines of the economy don't offer healthcare, not until now. Treating my ongoing asthma is problematic because the cost of prescriptions are incredibly high. Anyone who thinks we don't need this healthcare bill is fooling themselves; no one plans to get sick or have a recurring condition. The politicians who say they want to repeal Obamacare are in fact getting the very best healthcare provided to them by the American taxpayer. If they strip this bill and repeal it, all Congress should give up their gold-plated healthcare that we taxpayers are paying for, for them and their families.

June 30, 2012 12:15 pm at 12:15 pm |

Mike Texoma

Too soon after the decision to be polling folks. This needs time to percolate through the brain. Ten days-to-two-weeks should give us a better picture.

June 30, 2012 12:17 pm at 12:17 pm |

indyfan2

Health care should not be decided by how much return an investor receives. For profit health care, for profit prisions, for profit public education,for profit roads are not how to run a civilized country.

June 30, 2012 12:23 pm at 12:23 pm |

TJeff1776

Romney must think himself brilliant and everyone else stupid. A health or insurance plan that works in Massachusetts will surely work in any State or Federal level. He got started with that illogical propaganda because he otherwise would never have pacified the Repub base. But still, there's a basic dishonesty here. He's not on a college debate team. He is addressing America as a whole and not the wealthy Insurance Industry.

June 30, 2012 12:23 pm at 12:23 pm |

charles

The best thing ever happen to America in decades is the ACA.Every industrialise and civilised country have universal health care. People are not obese and have stinky mouths like people over here because they can see dentist frequently. Wake up people and stop clinging to the ficticious saying" a light shining on the hills "stuff and face reality. Educate yourselves and stop watching the lies and propaganda from fox news.God bless USA.

June 30, 2012 12:24 pm at 12:24 pm |

Will

Once a right is given, this is not a country with any history, of taking a right away. Look at Roe vs Wade...20 years later, after a lot of mitigation, it is still the law of the land. Same can be said for gay marriage, all just a matter of time.

June 30, 2012 12:35 pm at 12:35 pm |

no sense

I love the people who say "Im so glad poor people can get health insurance now!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME, they could have gotten it before at the same cost. This is for people who have preexisting conditions and the ridiculous cost hikes THOSE bring. Just because everyone is buying health insurance doesn't mean your cost will go down. If anything the first couple years will be good/fine then THE HEALTH INSURANCE BUBBLE will pop just as the housing bubble popped after a DEMOCRATIC Congress told banks to lend more to poorer people. Now not all of the issues are bad, the whole preexisting condition thing is pretty great. Also the insurance companies are in love with Obama right now. "Oh what's that mister president, you are going to force ALL Americans to buy OUR product?" Stop and think and TRY to understand the other side.

June 30, 2012 12:37 pm at 12:37 pm |

Phil Thomas

I love how so many people repeat misinformation, my healthe care copy has gone up in the last eight years at 100 percent, my company went from charging me 15 bucks a pay period to 55 bucks. get real We have been paying hidden taxes out the wazoo for years. Think about how much products cost at hospitals, think about All the people who pay insurance for years only to get a letter saying your health care is going up 400 percent because you have cancer. Please people every one loves their health care until they need to use it

June 30, 2012 12:41 pm at 12:41 pm |

fish

I never liked this plan, but wasn't asked, so let's move on to something else. We seem to reinvent the wheel with everything in government. expanding Medicare to all but making the non-retirees pay cost +20% simply to fix the current system would be a better plan, it would still be more affordable than any insurance company. We need to take the profit out of essential life-saving programs, Wall Street needn't make a profit off everything!!!

June 30, 2012 01:01 pm at 1:01 pm |

insight iowa

Polls mean nothing... I think most americans favor the health care bill... it depends on who they call and when they called them. this is the best thing that has happened for americans in very long time.

June 30, 2012 01:10 pm at 1:10 pm |

DJR

It is the way society crunches. Almost half working and sucking off government jobs, tax derived businesses, stagnate uninventive moss. As business ever so slowly dies in America so will America itself. These are the last years of what was hoped for and dreamed of by our founders. People kill things, and freedom is dying. We the People will simple be slaves to the government elitists and their entwined dictators. Get it! You will pay for this service or go to jail. And as a GOP'er I believe the sooner we get rolling so we can start incarcerating and counting the People the sooner the people get the message. March boys and girls march!

June 30, 2012 01:16 pm at 1:16 pm |

michael

this is a big step to health insurance reform,! ive spoken with several doctors in the medical field and they say theyre biggest fight is with these insurance companies!!! the policy holder constantly pays but the doctors catch hell getting theyre checks from the insurance companies because they tell the doctors to send the check back because we(insurance company) are not gonna pay that amount!!! but then who gets the rest of the bill to pay??? us! so now we know whose profiting off the policy holder!!!!!!!!

June 30, 2012 01:30 pm at 1:30 pm |

Strange

This is the only country in the world where a large number of people are misled enough to want corporations to dictate their healthcare. Government is not perfect but it is the only way to run the Army, Police, Fire departments, Medicare, SSI, Disability and Healthcare. There are certain things that should not be done primarily by the private sector and our healthcare is hopefully moving in that direction.

June 30, 2012 01:34 pm at 1:34 pm |

ublvble

what Obama said to DeGeneres on Why He Opposed Individual Mandate: - Forcing Uninsured to Buy Insurance Is Like Forcing Homeless to Buy Homes